Letting cat out for the first time

[jitterbug5]

Hello!
Next weekend I’m due to let my lovely Reginald (please excuse the name. My husband chose it🙄) out for the first time. He’s had all his jabs, fleed, wormed and was castrated on the 31st. He’s just under 6 months old.

Myself and my husband have been letting him into our tiny back garden, supervised since he was about 4 months old. He is actually able to go out now but I’m giving it until next weekend so the fireworks will have died down.

How do I go about this? I’ve heard to let him out when he’s hungry so he’ll come back for food. To put his litter tray outside as well. But then what? Do I just open the door and off he goes? How long should I allow before I (panic) find him? He’s my little baby and I’m so scared he won’t come back

He escaped a month or so ago and we found him terrified and hidden down the side of the neighbours shed and now all I can think is if that happens again and we won’t be able to find him!

I’m probably sounding like a big wuss but I had a baby 5 weeks ago so my hormones are in overdrive!

I’ve never shut the door on him before, always either stood in the garden with him or watched from inside so I think he was a bit confused!

Fluffycloud ah true! He climbed the tree at the end of the garden, fell off (not from a big height!) and came straight back in. Maybe he was embarrassed he’s currently running round the house like a madman instead!

I have a kitten who is four months and have been letting her out for short periods every day. A very large cat appeared and there was a face off recently, She was absolutely terrified and now stays very very close and is very cautious, so I have no fear she will roam. I am worried about her being bullied by other cats though. I thought generally adult cats do not attack kittens, but this one did. The best thing is to put butter on his paws and just build up the time he goes outside bit by bit. The worry is if they get stuck up trees or run over, but you have to let go, it's like children. Personally I think it's incredibly cruel to keep a cat indoors all the time.

@Acrosstheuniverse123 we’ve been doing the same with Reggie since a similar age. He tried to jump the fence into the other gardens a couple of times and we had to fetch him back though!!
Other cats is my worry as well. There is two big cats in my neighbours that hang around. They even come and look in our patio door to watch Reggie! So that’s a worry! But like you said I think it’s more cruel to keep them in!